About Us

Nancy Bockino grew up in the mountains of Idaho, Montana and Washington.  She began climbing, backcountry skiing and working as a field ecologist in the early 1990’s.  Nancy moved from the Cascades to Jackson Hole in 2000 and fell in love with the mountains, whitebark pine trees and the local community.  Nancy keeps busy working as a full time guide and avalanche forecaster for Exum, a forest ecologist caring for whitebark pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and a professional avalanche instructor. Nancy also guides for International Alpine Guides in the Eastern Sierra Range in California, where she loves to spend the spring climbing and skiing in the alpine with her partner Colin and living in their van. Nancy has climbed and skied in the Tetons and Wind Rivers for over 20 years.  She has climbed since she was 13 years old all over the world.  Nancy has a Teaching Certificate and a Graduate Degree in Ecology and Botany, her AMGA Alpine, Rock and Ski Apprentice Certifications and a Wilderness First Responder Certification.   And, she most definitely loves to care for and visit the trees, especially Whitebark pine of the Tetons which she has been a conservation leader. 

Combining a passion for adventure and a love for exploration, Kim has spent a large part of her skiing career seeking out remote and exciting objectives. Kim has skied on all 7 continents, with first descents on 4, including in the Arctic and Antarctic. In 2013, her first winter in the Tetons, Kim completed 65 different routes, including the first female descent of the notorious Otter Body on the Grand Teton, and, in 2014, she went on to be the first woman to ski-guide the Grand Teton. Check out kimhavell.com for the full story on all of Kim’s major objectives.

With this home base in the incredible Teton Range, Kim guides for EXUM Mountain Guides, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Alpine Guides, and for Ice Axe Expeditions internationally. She has been an instructor and/or guide for numerous companies and ski camps since 2002, as well as being a 12-year past member of the San Miguel County Search and Rescue Team (and Advisory Board member), with medical, avalanche, and rescue certifications.

Gary began skiing the backcountry of Tetons in 1977. Gary was an instructor and Director of Travel Studies at Interlocken Center for Experiential Learning in New Hampshire for 20 years. In 1988 he founded Teewinot Institute. Gary has been a Senior Fellow at Dartmouth Institute of Arctic Studies and Co-Director of the Resilience and Adaptation Graduate Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He is now a UAF Professor Emeritus and serves as Chair of the TBCA Steering Committee.

A lifelong westerner, Josh ventured to Jackson Hole for its unique intersection of adventure and nature. Josh is a professional naturalist, writer, photographer, and recently produced the film Denizens of The Steep which tells the story of the imperiled Teton Bighorn Sheep herd through the eyes of backcountry skiers. In his free time, Josh enjoys backcountry skiing, backpacking, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, and stalking high country elk and mule deer.

Michael Parris had his first ski pass revoked at the age of seven for straight-lining the High Hopes trail at Blue Knob Ski Resort in Pennsylvania. Since then, he has been on a quest to make the perfect turn. This desire lead him to the Tetons in the early 90s and shaped his career creating custom skis and snowboards at the Igneous Factory in Jackson. As a local craftsman and splitboarder, Michael is honored to serve on the Teton Backcountry Alliance Steering Committee to help maintain access to some of the best terrain and snow in the world.

Jay’s life has been dramatically shaped by his time spent recreating in the Tetons since his arrival in the valley in 1978. Serving as a Teton Pass Ambassador from 2005 through the present, Jay believes he is lucky to live in one of the most beautiful natural areas. He feels that the sense of place inspired by Teton Pass and the surrounding areas is what makes the Tetons unique. Jay assumes the duty of passing the recreational access we currently experience on to future generations, which is why he is also involved with TBCA as a Steering Committee member.

Jen is a Jackson, WY based illustrator, avalanche educator, and member of Teton County Search and Rescue. In the late 90’s, Jen traded her 210’s and downhill suit for a pair of fat skis and a down jacket and never looked back. Her (mis)adventures on snow, rock and dirt have shaped her teaching and art, which is filled with wit, humor and grit. A founding member of the Teton Interagency Peer Support (TIPS) program, Jen has helped to foster the culture shift within the first responder community to identify and address traumatic stress injuries. In addition to participating on the Teton Backcountry Alliance Steering Committee, Jen is a Board Member of the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center Foundation, sits on the Wyoming Snow and Avalanche Speaker Committee and represents the interests of Search and Rescue operations on the American Avalanche Association’s Industry Advisor Group. Her art and illustrations can be found at JenReddyInk.com.

As an author of guidebooks about Jackson Hole backcountry skiing, Tom strives to do his part to raise safety and responsibility among skiers and snowboarders. Tom moved to Jackson from New York via Colorado in 1985, and worked as ski instructor at Snow King and Jackson Hole, and ski guide for Rendezvous Ski Tours, Jackson Hole Alpine Guides, and Exum Mountain Guides. He has served on the boards of the Wyoming Wilderness Association, American Packrafting Association, and Wyoming Public Lands Initiative. Check out his books at www.SelectPeaks.com.